Improvement in machines for making wrought-nails



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lmproverne'nt `nwViachinesfor Making Wrought Nails.

Patented May 30,1871.

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` UNITED v STATES u To all whom/t mag/concern:

l i i Be itknownthat I,-IDAN1:EL ARMSTRONG, of the city ofl Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making VVrought-Nails;l` andgI do, hereby declare the following to'fbe a full, clear, and exact description thereof,`which'wi1lf `enable others skilled in the fart to *which my invention appertains to make and'use the same,refere`nce being had tothe `accompanying drawing forming part of this specificationyin which- `V Figure lisa sideelevation of my invention; Fig. 2 is a frontelevationof the same; Fig. 3 n isa generalplan takenon linea/tm; with upper shaft and archfor supporting the `saine removed; and Fig. 4. is a side elevation of the hammers and the several parts connected therey p with detached. 1 l y Similar letters ofreference indicate corre- M spending parts inthe several 'figures of the My invention relatesto thatclass of machines designed "for "manufacturing wroughtnails, Ibut moreespecially horseshoe '-nails; and has for its object to facilitate the opera- "f tionof ,forging and finishing-the nails, andtoA `.render the same more perfect; and the improvenient consists, among others, in a shaft providedwith a hammer fixed to and rotating withsaid shaft, supported in housings or bearings connected by an arch, and so arranged as that one of said bearings is automatically, and

.i at regularintervals, `elevated and depressed,

andwithit oneend ofI said shaft; `also in the y p mechanism for operating` two gripers holding the nail-rods, by which an alternateforward e and backwardmovement is imparted to the same atthelproper time to allow oneof the rodst enter the dies as the other recedese therefrom, whereby a continuous movement of .e the machinemay be obtained.` 4

In the accompanying drawing, A is the frame-work, which issubstantially made of I metal, and is supported upon legs A in the usual manner, and so formed as to receive the i working parts ofthe machine, hereinafter meni tioned. B is the main driving-shaft of the machine, which issupported in its bearings a, affixed to the lower side of and'near the front of shaft is mountedlfan internal gear-wheel, C,

PATENT OFFICE.v

theframe;` `Uponthefouter extremity of this DANIEL ARMSTRONG, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPRVEMENT 'IN MAcHlNEs FOR MAKING wRouGi-lT-NAILS.

v `Specification forming part of Letters PatentNo. 115,267, dated May 30, 1871.

which engages a gear-pinion (not shown) on the outerend of' the shaft D. The said shaft `D is supported in bearings d d1 affixed to the lower side of arch E, which extends across from side to side of the machine, and is pivotend of which is connected a horizontal lever,

Gr, one nd of which is pivoted toone leg of the frame, and is provided at its opposite end Vwith an anti-friction wheel, g, which traverses the periphery of a cam-wheel, H, afxed upon the outer end of shaft B; thus, as said shaft 4is rotated, an automatic tilting movement is Aimparted to the arch. Aflixed to the inner side of and extending across the frame is a horizontal girt, I, to which, and to the inner sideof the main frame, is firmly secured the xed die-block J, upon which the die-plate h is attached, which die-plate h has its inner end shaped approximating the desired form of the nail side, and is vso arranged as to admit of being adjusted laterally, or in the direction of its length, to any desired point, and is firmly secured in position byy means of a series of set-screws, i, passing through and against the same. The inner end of said fixed die-block is provided with a vertical recess, within which is iitted the anvil K, which is secured in position by a stirrup-bolt, j, passing around the same and through the die-block. L is the movable die-block, which 'is formed as shown in Fig. 4, and is pivoted at its center to the lower side of girt I and the side of the main frame in such a manner` as to admit of a vibratory rocking movement.` To the upper surface of the vertical portion of said die-block is fitted the die-plate h', which is secured in position by stirrup j passing around-and Over the same, the inner end of which said die-plate is shaped approximating the form of' nail side, and is so arranged as to allow the lower side, when in contact `with the nail, to be in the same plane with the upper surface of the anvil, and also inthe same general plane with the fixed dieplate h. Affixed to the shank of the die-block L is a connecting-rod, b, which is universally jointed at its outer end, and is connected to the lower end of connecting-rod M, and extends upward to and through sleeve M', secured on and around the eccentric of shaft D; thus, as said shaft is rotated, a vibratory rocking movement or motion is imparted to said die-block. Afxed upon shaft D, over the dies, is a cylindrical piece of metal, D', to which is secured an arm, m, so arranged as to revolve over the anvil. To the outer extremity of the arm m is a roller, m', the face of which has a corresponding width to that of the anvil. The said roller m is so arranged as to bring the line of its axis parallel with the axis of shaft D, and is secured to the arm at the proper distance above the anvil to vgive the required vertical thickness to the nail as the same is rotated in contact therewith, the upper surface of the anvil being cut away or curved approximating the circle described by the rotation of the roller.

It will be noticed, on reference to the drawing, that the cylindrical piece of metal D', carrying the roller or revolving hammer, has an eccentrical form, the object of which is to counterbalance the eccentric operating the movable die-block, thus producing a uniform steady motion. j

N and N' are horizontal rock-shafts, the outer ends of which are supported in bearings affixed to the inner side of the front legs of the machine, and are supported at their inner ends within bearings affixed to a'vertical upright, n, secured to the outer side of the frame. Firmly attached to the upper sides of said rock-shafts are vertical arms O O', to the upper ends of which are afxed stirrups o o'. Secured to and revolving within the said stirrups are auxiliary wheels p p', so arranged as to traverse the periphery of cam-wheels P P' affixed on the main driving-shaft B; thus, as said shaft is rotated, a reciprocal rocking movement is imparted to the rock-shafts. Affixed to the upper side of said rock-shafts, near their inner ends, are vertical levers R R', to the upper ends of which are pivoted connecting-rods r r', extending inward toward the center of the machine. To the inner ends of said connecting-rods are pivoted horizontal arms S S', the outer ends of which are secured to the upper ends of vertical rockshafts T T', said shafts being stepped at their lower ends to and within suitable bearings affixed upon a cross-girt, l, and are supported in their upper ends by bearings secured to the side of girt I, the whole of which is arranged in a manner which admits of a free and easy rocking movement of the shafts. Firmly attached to the said rock-shafts are horizontal springs V V', which extend forward toward the front of the machine, and are slightly curved at their outer or forward end, upon which is secured a connecting-rod, W, by which the movement of the shafts are made to correspond one with the other. Aflixed upon the upper surface of the frame are the gripers l and 2, the outer ends of which are pivoted to the arms U U',

said arms being also pivoted at their opposite ends to the front rail of the frame, and are so arranged as to admit of a vibratory movement. The inner ends of said gripers are also pivoted to the inner ends of arms s s' in amanner admitting of a free and easy movement. To the upper surface of said gripers are secured the rods .r fromv which the nails are to be formed, the devices for holding the same in position upon the gripers being the same as now known and used, andl does not constitute any part of my invention, and is not, therefore, fully shown and described.

It will be observed that the relative arrangement of cams P P' of shaft B is such, together with the several parts connecting the gripers with the rock-shafts, as to move said gripers alternately forward and backward at the proper time to introduce the end of one rod, x, into and between the dies preparatory to forming the nail thereon, by relation ofthe hammer in contact therewith, as the other rod recedes therefrom after its nail has been formed, by which a continuous motion of the machine is obtained; as the arrangement of the mechanism holding the rods is such as to allow the rod upon which the nail is formed to be changed when the machine is in motion, thus greatly increasing the facility of the machine over those now in use, in which a single rod only is operated.

It will be noticed that the movable die-block L is pivoted at its center, by which means it is balanced upon its fulcrum, thus obviating the jarring motion heretofore produced by the pivoting of the die-block at or near its rear extremity.

I am aware that nail-machines have been previously known and used in which a rotating hammer and a fixed and movable dieblock operated by an eccentric have been employed; but in such machines the shaft carrying the hammer has been secured in fixed bearings. Thus the vertical thickness of the nail must be formed by the first revolution of the hammer in contact therewith, which is more or less liable to impair the fibers of the iron, rendering the nail imperfect, while in my machine the shaft carrying the hammer is secured within the arch in such a manner as to allow the same to adjust itself to the thickness of the metal, thus forming the vertical thickness of the nail, by a series of revolutions of the hammer, by which the fibers of the iron are more perfectly drawn out and the `nail more perfectly made.

p Having thnsdeseribed ,my invention, what `I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

mer m, of the conneetedarch and bearings E d d' `and mechanism to automatically and at p regular intervals elevate and depressone of p said bearings, and with it one end of said shaft, in the manner substantially and for the purpose speciied. i i 2. The arehE providedwith the bearings d i p d', in combination With the shaft D provided `with hammer m, connecting-rod F, lever G,

1. `The combination, with shaft D and ham- Witnesses:

N. C. GRIDLEY, N. H. SHEBBURNE. 

